If you are a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, or small business person, you may find the need to create a website for yourself. This can be an overwhelming task for many people. Where do you even start? Do you need to learn HTML, buy hosting, and pay a few hundred dollars for a program like Dreamweaver? Will this get you what you need? Do you need to hire someone to do the work for you?
While this is the course that many people took in the past, designing a professional website now is much easier. You need three things to get started…
- Web hosting from a reputable company
- Make sure they have good uptime
- Look for a hosting account that allows multiple domain accounts
- Look for a good initial price
- Look for a good upgrade path for future traffic expansion
- WordPress installed on your host site
- Many popular hosts offer one click installation
- Look for a hosting plan that offers multiple WordPress installations
- A Premium WordPress Template
- Look for one that has the basic layout you want to achieve
- Look for templates that have a parent/child framework
- Look for a good control panel for ease of use.
While there are many premium WordPress design companies, I suggest that you take a look at the premium templates from Studio Press that utilize the Genesis framework. This gives you the ability to change the look of the child template, while the parent template handles all the backend operations. This is really helpful when you need to upgrade your site as all the design features are in the child theme while the main code and structure are in the parent. Just change the child theme to change the look. Lets take a look at a few templates and how they can be used for your business.
When you’ve got lots of content and you need a professional way to show it off, the Executive theme would be ideal for you. Use it to showcase your company, services and what you can offer. Four boxes allow you to showcase the primary features of your business, while the main graphic area rotates content between selected slides.
If you are a photographer, artist or just a company with lots of products to showcase, the multi framed Expose theme may be for you. With a few clicks you can effortlessly create a stunning display of your photographic or artistic artwork. Expose will give you the perfect framework to exhibit your passion worldwide.
If you enjoy creating your own crafts or homemade products, The Bee Crafty theme can be easily modified to match your product line. Your super-crafty awesomeness can easily be showcased in this creative design. Snap in your own handmade header, stitch together a beautiful photo showcase home page, or draw up a unique and wonderful blog.
The Agency child theme for the Genesis Framework is a corporate-style theme that will provide a professional look for your website. This template is great for small businesses, speakers, writers, and solopreneurs. Use it to showcase your company, services and what you can offer. The three bottom boxes are a great place to showcases books, programs, or highlighted products.
If you need more selection to find the right theme, be sure to check out premium entries like Standard Theme from John Saddington and Thesis from DIYthemes.
Question: What theme do you use for your blog or website?
